Midterm Flashcards
Hemodynamics (what it literally means)
Blood Movement.
The movement of blood.
What does the activity of blood in hemodynamics tell us? (an underlying assumption)
Where energy is needed in the brain, and therefore which brain areas are active.
Neuromodulation
Physically doing something to the brain and observing changes.
What’s the difference between cognition and behaviorism? Define cognition.
Cognition: internal mental processes that mediate stimulus-response relationships
Behaviorism: overt responses to stimulus
Behaviorism is observable, cognition is internal.
3 types of data in Cognition research
1) behavioral
2) psychophysiological
3) neuroimaging data
3 common ways behavioral data is measured in Cognition
1) response time
2) accuracy
3) choice
Types of psychophysiological data
1) Skin Conductance Response (SCR)
- mental process affects our skin electricity conductivity
2) Cardiovascular Activity, Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- heart information
3) Pupil Diameter (pulpilometry)
- eg. risk taking
4) Reflexive Movements
- eye blink, saccades, etc.
Which type of data uses autonomic nervous system?
psychophysiological
unconscious
Saccades. Type of what?
Rapid eye movements; a type of reflexive movement
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation does a “virtual ____”
lesion
What does ‘ethical’ refer to when considering which method too use?
Wasting participants time is unethical.
Directionality of brain: Front/Back
(both humans and animals)
Anterior/Posterior (before/after)
Rostral/Caudal (beak/tail)
What does medial/lateral mean?
Towards or away from the midline
Directionality of brain: Above/Below
(both humans and animals)
Superior/Inferior (above/below)
Dorsal/Ventral (back/belly)
3 planes
Horizontal, “horizon” (top/down)
Sagittal, “arrow” (side)
Coronal, “crown” (front/back)
Grey vs. White matter
Grey:
where the cells are and where they communicate
White:
the networks or highways that connect grey matter
2 parts of the folded structure of the brain.
What’s the purpose of these structures?
Sulci: the grooves or valleys
Gyri: the ridges or folds or peaks
Purpose: increase surface area of the brain to have more grey matter space
3 Main Sulci
(and what they separate)
Landmarks to divide the brain into regions
Longitudinal Sulcus:
- anterior-posterior cut in the medial part of brain.
- separates left and right hemispheres
Central Sulcus:
- medial-lateral cut of the brain
- separates frontal and parietal lobes
Lateral Sulcus:
- at the side of the brain
- separates temporal and frontal/parietal
Which of the 3 main sulcus does NOT have its own gyrification?
Central sulcus
What brain structure connects the two hemispheres? What is it?
Corpus callosum
A bundle of white matter with myelinated axons to transmit signals
What structure is found in the lateral sulcus?
What is it and its function?
Insular cortex
A bundle of grey matter. Many functions.
Neuron Doctrine
The brain consists of neurons, which are INDIVIDUAL cells that DON’T touch
What is an action potential in a few words?
A change in electric potential; a firing of electric potential (??)
Why don’t neurons just keep firing?
Neurotransmitters tell the next neuron whether to fire or not. Continuous firing will lead to seizures.